Events:

2009-DEC-01: DC: City council gives first reading to SSM bill: The
Washington DC city council voted 11 to 2 to legalize same-sex marriage (SSM)
in the district. Earlier, they had voted to recognize SSMs performed legally
in other jurisdictions. This vote must be confirmed in a second vote,
receive approval by the mayor and
navigate a potential veto by Congress before it becomes law. More
information.

2009-DEC-02: NY: NY poll shows strong support for SSM; Senate votes to
defeat SSM: A Marist Poll shows strong support for same-sex marriage.
Overall, registered voters were 51% in favor and 42% opposed with a margin of
9%. Democrats were 66% in favor and 29% opposed. Women and residents of New
York City were approaching 2 to 1 in favor.

The state Senate finally voted on a bill to legalize SSM in New York State.
All Republicans and 8 Democrats voted against the bill. It was defeated. More information.

"Transsexuals and homosexuals will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it's not
me who says it but St. Paul. ... People are not born homosexual, they become
homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not
develop their own identity during adolescence. ... 'Perhaps they aren't guilty
but by acting against the dignity of the body they will certainly not enter
the kingdom of heaven."

It is not clear how he interprets either of these two "clobber" passages so
that they refer to transgender persons or
transsexuals. Most theologians believe that the Bible is silent on these
topics.

In a most unusual move, the Vatican criticized a top church official's
statements. Vatican spokesperson, Father Federico Lombardi, said the
conservative website on which the cardinal made his comments should not be
considered an authority on Catholic thinking "on complex and delicate issues
such as homosexuality." 8

2009-DEC-08: DC: Gay-positive group to cosponsor CPAC convention:
The three day Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be
held in Washington DC starting on 2010-FEB-18. It will be cosponsored by GOProud,
a group that describes
themselves as "the only national organization for gay conservatives and
their allies."

2009-DEC-10:Austria: Parliament passed legislation to
create civil unions for same-sex couples that would also offer
protection to their children. It will come into effect on 2010-JAN-01.
Lawmakers passed the measure with a vote of 110 to 64. Same-sex couples
will obtain the same financial rights as opposite-sex couples including
in taxation, pension and maintenance. However they will not be eligible
to adopt children or receive fertility treatments. Upon the insistence
of The People's Party -- a conservative group -- same-sex couples
would not be granted at local registry offices as opposite-sex couples
can. Instead, same-sex couples would have to register their civil unions
at the municipal office or the magistrate's office. Gabriele
Heinisch-Hosek, the women's affairs minister of the ruling Austrian
Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) assured lesbians, gays and bisexuals
that the restrictions are temporary until the next round of legislation.

2009-DEC-12: TX: Houston elects first openly gay mayor: Houston
Mayor-elect Annise Parker, 53, won a runoff election, defeating former city
attorney Gene Locke. Other cities in the U.S. have openly gay mayors,
incuding Cambridge, MA; Portland, OR; and Providence, RI. However, Houston is the largest. She said:

"It's a historic election for my community, and I believe an election that
will change some people's minds about the city of Houston. It's a diverse,
international city that welcomes everyone. ... "I realize that I'm a role
model, but I've been a role model for my community for 30 years. It's part
of who I am, and I believe it makes me a better representative for the city
of Houston." 1

She also said:

"This election has changed the world for the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community. Just as it is about transforming the
lives of all Houstonians for the better, and that's what my administration
will be about."

Mayor-elect Parker's sexual orientation became the focus of the race after
religious and social conservatives endorsed her competitor and sent out
mailers that condemned Parker's "homosexual behavior." 2 Parker is in a loving
committed relationship with another woman.

2009-DEC-15: DC: City council gives final reading to SSM bill: The
Washington DC City Council voted 11 to 2 for the second time to legalize
same-sex marriage (SSM) in the district. The mayor has promised to sign it
into law. Congress will then have 30 legislative days to veto the bill if they
wish. More
information. An attempt will be made by social and religious conservatives
to launch a court case to force the City Council to hold a referendum in the
hopes of repealing the law. More info.

2009-DEC-18: DC: As he promised, Mayor Adrian M, Fenty (D) signed the
SSM bill
into law. This legalizes same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia.

The final steps to allow SSM for loving, committed DC same-sex couples to
marry as soon as 2010-MAR are for the law to dodge:

A potential veto by Congress, and

A potential court-ordered plebiscite that is being
promoted by religious conservatives. More info.

2009-DEC-18: Europe: Pressure to adopt civil unions: British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged to try to convince European countries
that have no same-sex marriage or civil union laws to recognize same-sex
couples' civil unions contracted in Britain. He said:

"We want countries where that hasn't been the case - especially in Eastern
Europe - to recognize them. We're negotiating agreements with France and then
with Spain. ...If we could show eastern Europe as well as western Europe, that
this respect for gay people is due, that would be really important. Of course
it will be tough, and will take many years, but that has never ever been a
good reason not to fight." 3

2009-DEC-19: UK: Rugby Union player comes out
of the closet: Cardiff Blues player Gareth Thomas revealed that he
is gay. He said:

"I just want to thank everyone for the amazing response I have received, on
behalf of me, my family and friends. I hope that by saying this I can make a
big difference to others in my situation. ... What I choose to do when I close
the door at home has nothing to do with what I have achieved in rugby. ... I'd
love for it, in 10 years' time, not to even be an issue in sport, and for
people to say: 'So what'?"

Peter Tatchell, a gay-rights promoter, said:

"It is very positive Gareth has
come out while he is still an active player. Many of the sports people
who have declared their homosexuality have tended to do so after their careers
are over. ... Rugby is a very macho sport and has traditionally had a very robust
he-man, heterosexual image so it is really great that he has had the guts to
be honest with himself and his fans. Hopefully this will ease the way for
other gay and bisexual players to also come out." 4

2009-DEC-21: Mexico: Mexico city legalized same-sex marriage: By a
vote of 39 to 20, with five abstentions, Mexico City legislative assembly
revised the civil code to define marriage as "the free uniting of two people."
Previously, loving, committed same-sex couples were only able to obtain civil
unions in the city. The marriage law will enable them to apply for bank loans,
inherit, be included in each other's insurance plans, etc. Victor Romo of the
Democratic Revolution party said: "For centuries, unjust laws banned marriage
between blacks and whites or Indians and Europeans. Today, all barriers have
disappeared." Others were not impressed. Armando Martinez, president of
the College of Catholic Attorneys, said that city legislators had
"given Mexicans the most bitter Christmas. They are permitting adoption [by
same-sex couples], and in one stroke of the pen have erased the terms mother
and father." The conservative National Action party plans to mount a court
challenge against the law. 5

2009-DEC-28:Argentina: Jose Maria Di Bello (L) and his
partner Alex Freyre were married at a government registry office in Ushuaia,
the southern-most city in the world. It is located in Tierra del Fuego
province at the southern tip of Argentina. They became the first same-sex
couple in Latin America to marry. Their marriage was first accepted and then
denied in Buenos Aires. Then it was first denied and then accepted in Ushuaia.
Di Bello, 41, is an executive at the Argentine Red Cross. Freyre, 39, is the
executive director of the Buenos Aries AIDS Foundation. Both of them are HIV
positive. More info.

2009-DEC-30: Vermont: Separated same-sex couple fight over custody of
child: Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins were in a same-sex relationship in
Vermont. Lisa gave birth to their daughter, became a Christian, separated from
her partner, and moved to Virginia. OneNewsNow reports that she has left her
"former lifestyle." It is not clear whether she is bisexual and has decided to
avoid future relationships with other women, or whether she is a lesbian and
has decided to become celibate.

Vermont judge William Cohen gave custody of the child to Janet Jenkins.
Meanwhile, Miller appears to have "disappeared" with the child. The case
presents an interesting constitutional issue because Virginia only recognizes
unions of one man and one woman. This type of conflict is bound to become more
common in the future, as U.S. states increasingly form a patchwork of laws
concerning same-sex relationships. A married same-sex couple can become only
registered partners or even simply roommates by going on a short drive from
their home.